


Main Rounds

by bokuakakurookentrash, makichansenpai



Series: SASO 2016 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 11:53:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8247793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bokuakakurookentrash/pseuds/bokuakakurookentrash, https://archiveofourown.org/users/makichansenpai/pseuds/makichansenpai
Summary: this is what we managed to produce for main round one, we hope you enjoy it just as much as we had fun writing it.the lovely artwork is made by lattien on tumblr (check her out!)





	1. we are in screaming color

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shions_heart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shions_heart/gifts).



> this is what we managed to produce for main round one, we hope you enjoy it just as much as we had fun writing it.
> 
> the lovely artwork is made by lattien on tumblr (check her out!)

They all felt like they were drowning sometimes.  
  
Bad thoughts got a hold of them, pulling them down as they struggled to breath.  
  
They also could be a helping hand for each other, a solid rope for the others to hold on to.  
  
This is about how, even though darkness resides in every one of their souls, they can still manage to be light for the ones they love.

 

Kenma had a date and dates meant wearing nice clothes.  
  
He had been repeating those words in his mind for the past week, trying to find the courage to put on one of the cute outfits he had bought, but had never worn.  
  
Kenma was supposed to meet Akaashi, Bokuto, and Kuroo in front of a nearby café in a few hours and he was terrified.  
  
He had always been different from boys his age.  
  
He was quiet where they were loud, he’d rather stay in the house than spend time outdoors and getting his clothes dirty with mud.  
  
Kenma preferred pretty crop tops and skirts to sweatpants and baggy t-shirts.  
  
What would other people think of him? A ‘guy’ wearing ‘girly’ clothes wasn’t exactly a ‘normal’ thing to see.  
  
He took his time getting ready. His shower lasted twice as long as usual, and he kept changing his mind on what to wear.  
  
_Should I really wear this? What if everyone thinks it's weird? I won't be able to live this down if they don't like it_ , Kenma thought as he unconsciously put on the clothes he dreaded and loved.  
  
When he came back to reality, he looked in the mirror. Kenma liked what he saw.  
  
His dark gray top looked good with the light blue cardigan he chose, and his beige shorts hugged his legs very nicely. He completed the outfit with a belt that had a kitty buckle on it.  
  
Kenma left his house before he had the time to change his mind. He checked his phone while he was walking down the street, and noticed that he was still very early. He took his time walking, and kept his head down to avoid being stared at.  
  
Unfortunately, some people’s criticism reached him anyways.  
  
“Oh my god. What is HE wearing?”  
  
“Isn’t that a guy? Why is he wearing female clothing?”  
  
Kenma was not a guy, nor he was a girl. He had realized it in high school and accepted it.  
  
Why couldn’t people do the same?  
  
Kenma started walking faster.  
  
He stood in front of the café, five minutes earlier than he was supposed to, and did his best to block out the words of the passersby people. He knew what they would have said about his outfit. It shouldn’t have affected him.  
  
But it did.  
  
“Gross, what does HE think HE’s doing?”  
  
“Is this some kind of joke..?”  
  
Kenma eventually disconnected with the world, and went into a dark corner of his mind where he curled up and took in all the insults thrown at him.  
  
“Honestly, I think that outfit would look better on you than on him,” he heard a girl say.  
  
“Ew! I wouldn’t want to wear something HE wore! That’s disgusting!” said another girl, probably her friend.  
  
Kenma was crushed by those words. He shrank and shrank into that corner of his mind. Dark fog started crawling up around him. He felt tired and wanted to go home. He should have never gone out of the house looking like that.  
  
The people were right, he was disgusting.  
  
A familiar gasp reached his ears, but he was too busy repeating the hurtful words people threw at him in his mind to register it.  
  
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and a warm presence behind him.  
  
“You look great, babe.”  
  
“Wow, you look so cute in that outfit!”  
  
Kenma furrowed his brow as he heard a shriek resembling a dying animal. Something wasn’t right.  
  
Wasn’t he ridiculous? Wasn’t he weird?  
  
Compliments and shrieking kept coming and getting louder. Kenma then looked up, and saw a bright light where the dark fog used to be.  
  
He slowly went towards it.  
  
Kenma blinked, and realized that he was back to reality. He recognized the people around him.  
  
Akaashi was smiling at him in a way that could only mean he knew he had an episode.  
  
Kuroo was trying (and failing) to cover his completely red face with his hands.  
  
Bokuto was shifting between complimenting him and making sure that Kuroo wasn’t actually dead.  
  
A small blush crept its way to Kenma’s face.  
  
He was slightly embarrassed from all the attention, but he was happy.  
  
With his boyfriends there, he found the strength to ignore everybody else and enjoy himself.  
  
Kenma was _their_ own being and _they_ liked what _they_ liked. 

“GUYS, GUYS, GUYS!” Akaashi could feel the mattress bounce with every word.  
  
He opened one of his eyes and squinted to look at the numbers on the alarm clock. The task proved itself to be way more difficult than he thought because Bokuto, who was now jumping on the bed, was right in front of it.  
  
Before he could complain about his boyfriend having way too much energy at _seven am_ on a _holiday_ , he heard groaning coming from where Kenma was, tucked under his chin.  
  
“Kotarou, it’s too early for this,” Akaashi could feel the blond’s lips moving against his collarbone as they snuggled closer to his chest.  
  
Keiji smiled and started threading his fingers through the other’s hair.  
  
“Kenma’s right, Kou. Tetsurou’s going to kick your ass if you wake him up this early” Bokuto pouted.  
  
“Akaashi, Kenma-chan, it’s our first Christmas morning since we moved in together!” he whined, “We have to celebrate!” he flailed his arms around, as if the gesture could prove his point.  
  
Akaashi rolled his eyes, then, untangled himself from Kuroo’s iron spooning grip, kissed Kenma on their forehead and got up.  
  
“Let’s go then.”  
  
Bokuto’s eyes lit up and the man jumped off the bed to plant a loud, wet kiss to his cheek.  
  
“I love you, babe!” Akaashi tried not to flinch at the words and followed his hyperactive boyfriend down the stairs.  
  
They started making breakfast together, Kotarou blabbing away about this dream he had about Oikawa-san having a twin that was ‘even worse than him, Akaashi! Can you believe it!?’.  
  
Keiji finished making himself and Kuroo coffee, verified that Bokuto wasn’t looking and left the kitchen. He went out the back door, jumped the low fence leading to his neighbours’ yard and knocked on their door.  
  
He came back into the house, minutes later, with a carrier and hid it next to a litter box and a bag of kitten food in the tatami room, where he had set up his office and kept all his small potted plants.  
  
He walked back to the kitchen and saw Kenma massaging Kuroo’s tense shoulders, while the other frowned.  
  
“I went to get Tetsurou’s present,” he said, before they could question him.  
  
Mr. Grumpy Pants seemed to cheer up a bit at the news. Bokuto was nowhere to be seen, Akaashi walked toward the other two, kissed Kuroo on the cheek and sat down to eat.  
  
Akaashi was just about to ask where Kotarou went, but stopped when he heard loud footsteps and hooting coming from the hallway. Bokuto appeared at the kitchen door wearing an ugly green sweater and reindeer antlers on his head.  
  
There were three other ugly sweaters in his arms, plus a Santa hat. Kenma scrunched up their face in disgust.  
  
They sat in the living room, wearing ugly sweaters and old pajama pants, near the big potted weeping fig in the living room, the one Bokuto had finished showering with Christmas decorations moments prior.  
  
“Poor Makoto,” Akaashi said and patted its leaves. Kuroo snorted.  
  
“You really need to stop naming every plant you buy, Keiji” he said.  
  
Kenma nodded. “Stop buying them period. We have, like, fifty.”  
  
Akaashi stared at them both.  
  
“Don’t you dare speak to me or my _forty-seven_ potted plants ever again.”  
  
Their birthdays were one per month from September to December, so each of them had already spent money on three presents that year. For Christmas they had decided to buy only one present each.  
  
Bokuto got new kneepads from Kuroo, Kenma got a new psp game from Kotarou. Akaashi opened the present Kenma had bought for him and laughed. It was a pink, frilly apron with _‘#1 mom’_ written on it.  
  
“I’m going to get your present, Tetsurou. Close your eyes,” Keiji said and stood up, “You two make sure he doesn’t peek!” he called from the hallway.  
  
When he placed the small Balinese kitten in Kuroo’s arms, the other sucked in a breath.  
  
“You can open your eyes, now.”  
  
The other three cooed as they watched Tetsurou cuddle the small creature close to his chest. The kitten stared at him for a bit, then started purring.  
  
“She already likes you,” Keiji smiled.  
  
“She’s cute, isn’t she?” Bokuto said while petting her head.  
  
“She has our eyes,” Kenma whispered in wonder. It was true, one of her eyes was green, while the other was golden. Akaashi had chosen her because of that.  
  
“Guys, I love you so much!” Kuroo exclaimed with actual tears in his eyes. The other two laughed at him. Keiji would have laughed too, but in that moment he really couldn’t.  
  
_‘I love you’_ why did those three word make him so sad? He should have been happy to have people love him.  
  
“I LOVE LOVE YOOOU!” Bokuto screamed and the kitten flinched.  
  
Akaashi flinched too. He knew why.  
  
Their love was pure.  
  
Their love was absolute and unconditioned.  
  
“…I love love love you,” Kenma mumbled while blushing.  
  
He was gripping his apron so tightly his knuckles turned white.  
  
Their love was romantic.  
  
They were _in love_.  
  
And he was not, had never been,  
  
_Could never be_.  
  
His chest hurt and he felt like throwing up.  
  
They deserved better, they deserved someone who could love them as much as they did, in the same _romantic_ way.  
  
Keiji noticed that the the others had fallen silent.  
  
Kenma, Kuroo and Bokuto were now sharing knowing looks, but before he could question them, they began to slowly approach him.  
  
"What are you-" Keiji was cut off by the three of them literally jumping on top of him.  
  
A loud thump indicated that they all fell onto the floor.  
  
“Keiji, sweetheart, if you keep frowning, you’re gonna get wrinkles!” Tetsurou kissed his cheek.  
  
“Akaashi! Were you ignoring us?!” Kotarou rubbed his forehead against his cheek.  
  
Kenma took his hand and squeezed it in his own, a silent promise.  
  
They weren’t going anywhere.  
  
“I love love love love you,” Akaashi whispered, and he truly did. In his own unique way, he loved them more than anyone else.  
  
_And that was enough_.  


Kuroo cursed as he looked at the time. He usually got out of work by three on Fridays, but one of his kouhai at the lab had accidentally erased some data from the computer and Tetsurou had spent the past two hours trying to recover it.  
  
It was already past six when he got off the train at his stop In front of a park. A group of kids was playing volleyball. He smiled in their direction and started walking home.  
  
“Volleyball is such a waste of time. I don’t see why the kids love it so much.” A mother said from where she sat on a nearby bench.  
  
This made Kuroo frown as he remembered some of his childhood.  
  
There once had been a time when his parents were proud of him, a time when he felt loved. A time when he did every, single, thing they wanted him to do, without ever questioning it.  
  
Then his life started spiraling downhill.  
  
When Kuroo joined the volleyball club in middle school, his parents didn’t seem too pleased by his decision, but he figured they wouldn’t mind once they saw how happy the sport made him.  
  
Kuroo was wrong… terribly so.  
  
Not only did his parents not watch his first game, but they told him to give up as soon as he got home.  
  
They thought that it was a waste of time, and that he could spend that time studying and being at the top of his class instead. Kuroo didn’t understand that. He always did well in his school, volleyball wouldn’t have affected his studies.  
  
Kuroo didn’t even say anything to his parents that night. He just went straight to his room and cried.  
  
As time went on, Tetsurou started noticing the looks his parents gave him every time he shared an opinion different from theirs.  
  
‘ _You’re wrong_ ’ their looks said ‘ _You should think like us_ ’.  
  
Kuroo realized that he didn’t spend a lot of time with his parents anymore. He caught on quickly and understood that they didn’t care any longer.  
  
He was just a disappointment that they had to keep fed and clothed. If they had the chance, his parents would abandon him.  
  
Eventually, that’s what happened.  
  
He saw it coming, he saw it in his mother’s cold stare, he saw it in how tightly his father was holding his gay porn mags.  
  
That was the last straw for them.  
  
He knew it was going to happen, he’d known it since he was 11, but nothing could have prepared him for it.  
  
He remembers feeling empty and numb, walking to Kenma’s house across the street, cheek red from where his dad had slapped him.  
  
Kuroo was pulled back to reality when he saw the gate to his house. He must have walked home without realizing.  
  
He opened the door and walked in the living room to see Kenma, Bokuto, and Akaashi cuddled up on the couch asleep. Even Latte Macchiato, his cat, was napping on top of the pile of snoring boyfriends.  
  
He took in the sight before him, and his lips formed a small smile. He was certainly lucky to have the three. He had triple the love compared to a regular relationship.  
  
As Kuroo admired his boyfriends, a voice in his mind asked _do they really love you?_ He shook his head. Of course they loved him! They wouldn’t be together if they didn’t…right?  
  
Maybe they didn’t really need him.  
  
They knew about his past, maybe they were with him only out of pity.  
  
Was everything they did a charade so he wouldn’t feel bad about himself?  
  
Kuroo’s mood just got worse as he thought about it.  
  
He wanted to wake them up to talk about it. He wanted to be reassured that they did indeed love him, but at the same time, he didn’t want to bother them over something ridiculous.  
  
His insecurities were taking over his mind, they looked so peaceful, he didn’t need to wake them up, that would be selfish, wouldn’t it? Interrupting their nap for something like that. Kuroo didn’t want to ruin their moment, so he decided to just go to bed.  
  
Tetsurou was walking to his room, but as he passed the couch, he felt a hand grab his wrist. He turned around to see a sleepy Bokuto smiling at him and pulling at him to join them.  
  
He walked towards the couch again, and tried his best to fit in the bundle of limbs without disturbing anyone. Unfortunately, Kuroo couldn’t snuggle in without moving Latte Macchiato out of the way. He gently picked her up, and settled her on top of him.  
  
Once Kuroo made himself comfortable, he felt three pairs of arms tangle around him.  
  
“Welcome home, we were waiting for you,” Akaashi said.  
  
“You’re late. I missed you,” Kenma mumbled as they tried to snuggle in more.  
  
“We love you Tetsu!” Bokuto whispered enthusiastically.  
  
Kuroo’s heart swelled with love and happiness. They truly did love him, he felt like the luckiest person alive. Everyone wiggled a bit to get more comfortable.  
  
Minutes later, the pile of boyfriends, along with the cat, were snoring again.

 _His spike was blocked,  
  
the match ended,  
  
Japan had lost the finals.  
  
Bokuto stared as the other team cheered.  
  
The mistakes he made kept playing in his head.  
  
“Line up!” Oikawa shouted, but he sounded distant.  
  
Someone slapped him hard on the back, probably Iwaizumi, but he barely felt it._  
  
-  
  
Surprisingly, Bokuto Koutarou was a silent crier.  
  
One would expect someone, usually so loud, to unleash all of his emotions with hysterical, deafening wails. His head spinning and his entire body shaking wildly, trembling hands desperately trying to hold onto something to prevent themselves from losing balance and falling onto the ground. Mouth dry and violently gasping for air, only causing him to break down into more sobs.  
  
Bokuto Koutarou didn’t do any of that.  
  
-  
  
_“I’m going to take you off the starting team for a while”  
  
He was expecting that.  
  
“I think you need some time to rest, I’m worried about you,” the coach said as he put his hand on Bokuto’s shoulder “You’ll be back on the court in no time!” he added.  
  
Kotarou knew it was a lie._  
  
-  
  
On the days when the pressure was too much for him to handle, and his own depressing thoughts began to overshadow all of his good memories, he would hide in small, preferably dark places. He didn’t want anyone to hear him, he’d hate to worry the others, he didn’t want to be a bother.  
  
It was on one of those days that, after coming home from work early, Kenma found him in his hiding spot in the closet.  
  
-  
  
_When Bokuto tried to apologize to Oikawa, the other called him a dummy and told him to ‘Make it up to me by becoming a starter on the team again, Kou-chan! I hate having to send so many tosses to Usiwaka-chan!’  
  
Apologizing to the others was a failure too.  
  
Iwaizumi head butted him. ‘There are six players on the court, goddamnit! Stop shouldering all the blame!’ he scolded before walking away.  
  
Ushijima looked very confused, like he didn’t understand why Kotarou would be sorry.  
  
Tendou snorted, and gave him a look that said ‘What the fuck are you talking about, buddy?’.  
  
Nishinoya covered his ears and ran away shouting ‘Lalalalalalalala! I can’t hear you!’.  
  
Aone just hugged him.  
  
None of them were mad at him, but they should have been._  
  
-  
  
The older man was hugging his knees to his chest, nails digging into his legs. His shoulders were shaking and tears were streaming down his face. Kenma didn’t say anything. Instead, they grabbed their psp from the bedside table, walked back to where the other was, made themself space to sit down beside him and closed the closet door once again. The blond turned on their game and started playing as Bokuto leaned against their side. Kenma sat in silence and let him cry on his shoulder.  
  
Akaashi found them, hours later, surrounded by the clothes that fell from the hangers. The shorter of the two was still playing while the other observed him, uncharacteristically focused. It didn’t take much for Keiji to notice the dried tears on Bokuto’s face. He went into the kitchen, grabbed the ice-cream tub and three spoons, then walked back into the master bedroom. He sat in Kotarou’s lap, closed the door and passed around the spoons.  
  
Kuroo got home at ten, exhausted from the long shift at the lab. He turned the key into the lock and walked in, all the lights were off and the only one who came to the door to greet him was the cat. He dropped the bag containing his scrubs on the floor and scratched her under her chin.  
  
Hey, Latte-Maki, where are my cute boyfriends?” she seemed to understand what he said, because she nudged his hand and padded her way up the stairs. Kuroo followed her all the way to the master bedroom and looked around, the light on the bedside table was on, but none of the others were anywhere to be seen. Latte Macchiato mewed and pawed at the closet door. He walked towards where she was sitting and patted his unbelievably smart cat on her head.  
  
He smiled at the sight he saw when he opened the closet. The three of them were huddled close together and fast asleep, psp and ice-cream tub sitting in a corner. The cat mewed, making Kotarou stir.  
  
“Tetsurou?” he asked, while rubbing his eyes, voice still groggy from sleep. Kuroo was quick to change his love struck expression into teasing grin.  
  
“Bo, my man, never in my life I would have thought a day would come were I had to drag you guys out of the closet, _again_.”  
  
Bokuto threw his head back and laughed.


	2. afire love

Tetsurou wakes up with a smile on his face. Gentle summer breeze is ruffling the leaves of the big cherry tree in their back yard.  
Tiny bits of the dream he was having come back to him in a wave.  
-  
_“Tetsu! Look at this!” Bokuto lifted up his sweater sleeve,_  
Kuroo snorted “That’s the ugliest thing I have ever seen”  
The tiny tattoo owl sitting on his boyfriend’s forearm glared at him.  
-  
Keiji raised his eyebrows “How dare you insult my lucky socks’ honor”  
Tetsurou rolled his eyes “They’re not even a pair!” He argued to no avail.  
“Great going babe, you just jinxed them”  
-  
“Kenma, correct me if I’m wrong, but are you going to wear cat ears at work?”  
They stared at him for a long time, before nodding and turning around  
“Goodbye, Kuro”  
-  
He sighes in contentment as he gets out of bed “I feel so awesome today I almost don’t need caffeine. I can’t wait for tonight!” he mumbles to himself, before making his way downstairs.  
Kuroo chuckles while pouring himself a cup of coffee “well, I did say almost”  
The kitchen sounds eerily quiet without Bo’s loud blabbing, Keiji’s worried scolding and the padding sound Kenma’s bare feet make against the kitchen floor, as they try, and fail, to find their way to the fridge without banging into their lanky boyfriends.  
Tetsurou wishes they had gotten the day off work too. He clasps his hands together “I’m going to go all out and give them the best anniversary ever! Tonight is going to be great!” he promises.  
Kuroo gets ready for the day in record time, he’s so eager to go out grocery shopping, he knocks one of the framed pictures, hanging in the hallway, right off the wall. He spins around with a yelp and runs back to pick it up. Luckily, the glass of the frame didn’t break, Kuroo lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.  
The picture is one of the countless selfies Bokuto used to take with them when they first started dating. To take this particular one, Kotarou had used a horrendous, pink, glittery selfie-stick.  
Tetsurou cringes at the memory.  
-  
_”Bo, for the love of…put that thing away!”_  
”No way, bro! We’re in Canada aka The Land of The Gays, you cannot suppress my inner self!” Bokuto pirouetted to prove his point.  
“Kou, your ‘inner self’ is making people cover their children’s eyes, give me that.” Akaashi ordered and made his way to pry the offending object out of his hyperactive boyfriend’s grasp.  
Kuroo thanked the gods for the existence of Akaashi Keiji and steered Kenma closer to him just before they banged into a lamppost “Kenma, babe, will you please pay attention to your surroundings?” Tetsurou pleaded, “We’re at Niagara Falls! What is keeping you from enjoying this view?” He took a peek at their phone screen to find them battling with some water type Pokémon “Are you serious?!”  
Kenma just shrugged “Gotta catch them all” he mumbled in perfect English.  
Kuroo wanted to scream. “Okay, that’s it! I did not plan a cool date in a cool place for you to act the same way you do when we’re lazing on the couch at home!” He put his hands on his hips “Kenma, turn off your game! Bo, why are you still holding that?! Where’s Akaashi?”  
Kotarou fixed an embarrassing ‘I  <3 Canada’ baseball hat–where did he even get that?- on his head and walked closer to the other two “I don’t know, man, I thought you guys were watching him”  
That seemed to catch Kenma’s attention “Wait, did you lose Keiji, again?” They looked very worried “You know he has absolutely no sense of direction!”  
“Oi! Making sure Akaashi doesn’t get lost is your job too! Maybe, if you weren’t so focused on your phone, you would have noticed him wonder off!”  
Kuroo was surprised to find himself agreeing with Bokuto.  
“Hey, you dummies, I’m over here!” Keiji was leaning against the metal railing facing the waterfalls.  
The others ran towards him, “How many times do we have to tell you not to walk away alone?!” Kuroo was so done with all of them.  
“Yeah, Keiji, you have a talent for getting ridiculously lost.”  
Akaashi threw a dirty look at Kenma “Okay, first of all, rude. My sense of direction is not that bad.”  
“But, Akaashi, what about that one time when-“ Bokuto’s mouth was quickly covered by a soft hand.  
“That was in high school and we will not talk about it. And, by the way, Kenma gets lost all the time too.” Keiji’s face remained carefully void of emotion, but his ears were bright red.  
Kenma snorted.  
Kuroo would have too, but his breath was taken away the moment his eyes landed on the view behind them “Woah”  
Bokuto was the next to turn around “Look at all the rainbows!”  
Akaashi secretly smiled at him and faced the falls too.  
Kenma put his phone in his pocket to appreciate the moment better.  
-  
In the picture, Kotarou is kissing a blushing Kenma on the cheek, Tetsurou is puckering his lips and squishing the side of his face against Keiji’s while the other gives the camera his famous almost-smile.  
Kuroo sighs as he puts the frame back on the wall. The countless other pictures seem to be staring at him.  
A shy looking Kenma with space buns standing in a park while wearing light makeup, Bokuto right next to them, his hair in pigtails and tacky eyeliner and lipstick on his face, smiling proudly at them.  
Keiji on a tree branch, pale as a sheet while a small fluffy dog barks at him from the ground and Kenma, holding on to Kuroo for dear life, hissing at a bigger dog sitting at his laughing boyfriend’s feet.  
Tetsurou and Kotarou’s air mattress floating away into the distance while Akaashi stands on the lakeshore and makes a peace sign towards the camera with his hand. Revenge for the previous picture.  
Tears stream down Kuroo’s eyes, surprising him “Wow, I know I miss them, but this is ridiculous” he jokes as he wipes them away, then he throws on his coat, grabs his keys and wallet and exits their semi-detached house.  
“Kuroo-san!” in a blink of an eye, the eight year old crosses the shared driveway and stands in front of him, smiling.  
His brother walks over to them shaking his head “Good morning, Kuroo-san”  
Tetsurou smiles back “Yuu! Chikara! Good morning! Shouldn’t you already be on your way to school?”  
As if to answer him an annoyed voice comes from the open front door of the neighbour’s house “Daichi, you’re going to be late”  
“I know! Stop rushing me!” a child starts crying.  
“How many times do I have to tell you not to shout? You woke up Hitoka again!” they get bluntly ignored.  
“Koushi, where are my car keyes?”  
A sigh. The baby’s still crying “How am I supposed to know?!”  
Kuroo can’t hold back anymore, he starts laughing “Are they always like that?” he asks the kids.  
The two share a knowing look and smirk.  
Yuu crosses his arms over his chest, mocking his dad’s ‘captain pose’ “I am the head of this family” he says imitating Daichi’s tone of voice, “I don’t need to be babied!”  
Chikara puts his hand on his hip, the way Koushi often does, and rolls his eyes “Says the man who locked himself out last Saturday”  
Tetsurou is wheezing.  
“Found them!” Daichi booms and Hitoka, who had stopped crying during his search through the house, starts wailing again.  
“Daichi!” Koushi is ignored once more.  
“Hey, have you seen my tie? I swear it was around my neck half a second ago..”  
“Screw the tie! Get your ass to work before your boss decides to fire you. I can’t support us all no matter how many children’s books I kill myself to illustrate!” Koushi is about to lose it.  
Daichi takes the hint “Sorry love, off I go!”  
“Have a nice day” his exhausted husband calls after him.  
Kuroo and the kids are still laughing at the exchange when Daichi makes his way towards them.  
“Sawamura, how’s the married life going?” Tetsurou can feel the shit-eating grin he’s wearing.  
Daichi blushes “Shut up. Kids, get in the car! We’re going to be late!”  
They giggle but obey “Bye, Kuroo-san!” Kuroo waves at them  
“Hey, Kuroo” Daichi seems unsure “Would you like to have dinner with us today?”  
He shakes his head, “Sorry Sawamura, as much as I’d love to see your husband embarrass you at the dinner table, I have very serious business to attend to tonight”  
The man smiles at him, but It looks strained “Oh, I see..good luck then”  
Tetsurou climbs into his own car and starts the engine. During the short drive to the store, he hums along a song on the radio and thinks of marriage and kids.  
Raindrops splatter across the car windows. His hands start shaking.  
He ends up buying all the ingredients to make his boyfriends’ favourite foods.  
When Kuroo gets back from his errands, he puts his hair back and goes on an intense cleaning spree. He’s interrupted around three, when he hears the doorbell ring.  
Kuroo openes the door to find Koushi holding baby Hitoka and what seems to be a lunch box in his arms.  
He invites his neighbour in with a smile. He likes Koushi, the man’s fun to be around and his favourite hobby is also teasing Sawamura until he is left speechless and his ears are redder than tomatoes.  
“You seem to be in a good mood today, Tetsurou,” Koushi says as he places the food on the dining table.  
“Yup! Can you guess why?” Kuroo asks eagerly.  
Koushi chuckles and places his daughter on the carpet in the living room, “Nope. What’s going on today?”  
She crawls away happily.  
“Today is our anniversary!! Well, not yours and mine. I mean my anniversary with Bokuto, Akaashi and Kenma! We’ve been together for 5 long years, can you believe that?” Kuroo rambles as he takes out cups, plates, and utensils for them to use.  
“Yeah, totally unbelievable! Time just went by so fast..” Koushi says, but his tone sounds a bit off.  
Kuroo doesn’t catch the forced tone in his friend’s voice and keeps blabbing away, “It did go by fast,” he laughs and sits down to eat. “Five years with those dorks. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I loved them… a lot. They were just always there, y’know?”  
Tetsurou doesn’t realize his slip up, but Koushi flinches.  
While Kuroo takes a long stroll down memory lane, his friend’s expression grows more and more sour. _This is so painful to watch. He gets worse every time_.  
“-shi. Koushi!” The silver haired man jerks out of his thoughts and puts down his chopsticks “Yes?”  
Kuroo looks worried, “You okay? You look stressed” _he_ looks worried.  
Koushi wants to cry.  
“Yeah. I’m fine… it’s just…” excuses evaporate from his mind, so he takes a deep breath and stares at his friend in his eyes.  
“They won’t come home, Tetsurou”  
Kuroo tilts his head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”  
“What day is your anniversary on?” Koushi sounds gentle, it reminds Tetsurou of the way one speaks to injured animals. He doesn’t like that.  
“I just told you, our anniversary is today” Kuroo is getting a bad feeling about the conversation.  
“I’d like you to tell me the date” Koushi’s eyes are serious, but so sad, oh so sad.  
“22nd of July” Tetsurou says, he immediately feels sick “Thanks for lunch Sawamura, but I think it’s time for you to go, I have stuff to do, you see”  
“Don’t ‘Sawamura’ me” he mumbles “Stop doing this to yourself, please” Koushi all but begs him.  
Kuroo has no idea what he’s talking about, He’s about to tell him this, but he gets interrupted.  
“What’s the date today, Tetsurou?” he asks, tears streaming down his face.  
Kuroo gets up “I said leave” he whispers weekly, but his friend doesn’t budge.  
“It’s the 21st of March, the year is 2028.”  
The words cut through him like knives.  
_March? 2028? Something’s not right._  
Kuroo checks his phone and sits down again, his head is spinning.  
_Koushi isn’t lying, but then…_  
“Where are they?” his own voice seems to come from somewhere far away.  
Koushi sobs, he barely registers it.  
“I asked where Keiji, Kenma and Koutarou are” he starts to panic, “Tell me! Where are they? Why aren’t they here? Is this some kind of sick joke?” his hands are shaking, “Answer me, dammit!” he bangs his fist against the table.  
Hitoka starts crying.  
He finds he doesn’t care.  
-  
_Kuroo singed happily as he put the apple pie he just made in the oven. He then cooked the mackerel and the nanohana no karashiae as the pie baked. Once the pie was done, Tetsurou put it to the side to let it cool off and started grilling the meat just how Bokuto liked it._  
When the yakiniku was done, Kuroo put the food on plates and placed them on the dining table.  
Tetsurou stared at his work, then, took a vase from the cupboard and put it on the table. He grabbed a hoodie and started walking down the street in the direction of the flower shop.  
As Kuroo was making his way back from the shop, warm summer rain started pouring down. He cursed and used his hoodie to protect the flowers as he ran towards his house.  
Halfway down the road, the sound of tires screeching and a loud crash came from behind him. A feeling of dread came across him and he started sprinting towards where he had come from.  
Kuroo ran two kilometres before he got to the scene of the accident. The front of a pickup was smashed and an old grey car was flipped over, its left side was completely destroyed. His eyes landed on the rainbow sticker on the back of the car.  
Flowers fell on the wet asphalt.  
Sirens were blaring and people were yelling, but Tetsurou could barely hear them. He made his way through the crowd of bystanders.  
“Please” He selfishly prayed “Please let it be someone else’s car”  
As Kuroo walked closer, some of his neighbours recognized him and moved aside.  
“No, you’ve got it wrong,” He wanted to say “There must someone else in the neighbourhood who owns a second-hand grey Toyota with a ‘queers on board’ sticker on it”  
Tetsurou walked all the way to the front row.  
A muscular arm with an awful tattoo of an owl.  
He dropped to his knees.  
Cops had covered a corpse with a white sheet. Calves and feet were the only visible body parts.  
Tears streamed down his face when he noticed the mismatched socks.  
A sheet a few meters away was covering something that definitely couldn’t be a whole body.  
Kuroo’s stomach churned, he threw up his lunch.  
Cat ears stained in blood lay in the middle of the street.  
-  
_No, this cannot be happening._  
No there is no way.  
I can’t lose them.  
“Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kenma died in a car accident two years ago”  
_No it can’t be._  
I loved them, I love them so much.  
NO  
“No” he looks at his friend “Leave, I have to make dinner now.”  
Koushi looks like he’s about to argue, but Kuroo doesn’t let him.  
“Get out of my house. Now.” He puts his hands over his face.  
_No, everything is fine, they wouldn’t leave me, right?_  
“I just want to help you! You’ve been like this for two years, It’s the same every day!” Koushi sounds desperate.  
_No you’re wrong, they’re coming home._  
“Just get out, Koushi. Please?” at the pleading look in Kuroo’s eyes, he nods, picks up his daughter and walks out the door.  
Tetsurou walks to the couch, and slumps into it. He picks up a picture from the coffee table. It’s from when they were in high school.  
He stares at the young smiling version of himself and a sob escapes his throat.  
_I want to go back._  
Kuroo rolls into a ball and lets himself cry, lets himself grieve.  
  
-  
  
It’s the 22nd of March 2028.  
The house is spotless, the kitchen is full of ingredients for a dinner never cooked, pictures full of love and memories hang on every wall, sit on every surface.  
And Kuroo? Well,  
  
Tetsurou wakes up with a smile on his face. Gentle spring breeze is ruffling the branches of the big cherry tree in their back yard.  
It’s almost time for it to bloom, but he won’t see it, he refuses to.


End file.
